Fiber-cleaning apparatus.



No. 661,749. Patented Nov. l3, I900.

L. SULLIVAN. FIBER CLEANING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Dec. 7, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

No. 661,749. Patentedflov. 13, I900.

L. SULLIVAN. FIBER CLEANINGAPPABVATUS.

(Application filed Dec. 7, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(N0 Mol iei.)

I ETEIRI m: nomus Prrzas 00.. mm'cxurnon WASHINGTON, n c,

,UNITED STATES PATENT CEEICE.

LAWRENCE SULLIVAN, OF WALPOLE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TOHORACE A. SPEAR, JR., OF SAME PLACE.

FIBER-CLEANING APPARATUS.

SPEGiFICATiON forming part of Letters Patent No. 661,749, dated November13, 1900.

Application filed December 7, 1899. eerial No. 739,476- (110 m el- ToaZZ whom it may concern: cotton fibers and any foreign matter carried Beit known that I, LAWRENCE SULLIVAN, with them are caused to violentlyimpinge by of Walpole, in the county of Norfolk and the force of theair-current. This surface is State of Massachusetts, have inventedcertain formed to deflect the fibers and foreign mat- '5 newand usefulImprovementsin Fiber-Cleanter downwardly, the impact of the material ingApparatus, of which the following is a against the deflector looseningthe fibers from specification. the foreign matter. Below the deflector2,

This invention has for its object to provide which may be termed theprimary deflecsimple and efficient means for detaching from tor, is asecondary deflector 3, against which 1'0 loose fibrous material, such ascotton or wool, the material, or the heavier portions thereof,

dirt and other foreign matters which are deflected bythedeflector2impinges, this secliable to be found in the fibrous material,parond impingement or impact completing the ticularly when it is baledand delivered at a separation from the fibers of any foreign matfactoryin bales. Baled cotton, for example, ter which was not separated by theimpact 15 when opened is found to contain sand, dirt, against theprimary deflector 2.

fragments of bale-ties, and other foreign mat- Below the secondarydeflector 3 is a deprester the presence of which is very objectionsionat in the casing, which I term a trap. able. This trap 01 is arranged toreceive by gravita- My invention aims to separate such foreign tion therelatively heavy foreign matter 2o matter from the fibers before theyare subwhich is detached from the fibers by the sucjected to theprocesses preliminary to spincessive impacts against the deflectors 2and 3. ning. 0 represents an outlet which is arranged Theinventionconsists in theimprovements above the trap (Z and has substantially thewhich I will now proceed to describe and same capacity as the inlet 12,the fibers now 25 claim. separated from the foreign matter being car- Ofthe accompanying drawings, forming a ried through this outlet by theair-current, part of this specification, Figure 1 represents while theseparated foreign matter is depositan end elevation of a fiber-cleaningappara ed by gravitation in the trap d. tus embodying my invention. Fig.2 repre- The relative location of the several parts 3o sents a rear sideelevation of the same. Fig. above described must be such that the mat- 3represents a top View. Fig. 4 represents a ter entering the inletb willfirst strike the desection on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 repflector2, the fibers separated from the foreign resents a sectional view of amodification. matter rebounding from the deflector 2 and The samecharacters of reference indicate passing either directly to the outlet 0without 35 the same parts in all of the figures. striking thedeflector-3, while the heavier for- In the drawings, and referring forthe preseign matterand the fibers still adhering thereent to Figs. 1, 2,3, and 4, or represents a chamto will rebound from the deflector 2 tothe deber or casing, which may be of sheet metal flector3,Lhelatterbeingbelowtheoutletcand or any other suitable material and hasin one above the trap d, so that the fibers and foreign 0 side an inlet'1), which may be a pipe of 'sufmatter striking the deflector 3 willseparate at ficient diameter to conduct a current of air that point, thefibers passing from the deflecunder pressure and fibers of cotton orwool tor 3 to the outlet, while the foreign matter carried thereby. Whencotton is the material gravit-ates from the deflector 3 into the pocketbeing under treatment, the pipe I) may be 01. These results areaccomplished by the 5 5 connected with a suitable machine foropenconstruction of the inlet and outlet out of ing masses of cottonfiber, a suitable blower alinement with each other and the two deflecorair-forcing apparatus being employed to tors also out of alinement witheach other and force the cotton fibers violently through the so formedand angularly set relatively to each j pipe 1) into the casing a. Thecasing has a other and to the inlet and outlet as to twice I00 50 curveddeflecting-surface 2 opposite the deabruptly change the course ordirection of livering end of the pipe 19, against which the movement ofthe current ofair and fibers pass- 'cles, free to rebound after impactwith the ing through the apparatus. Below the trap d is a receptacle d,which is adapted to receive the foreign matter that accumulates inthetrap, said receptacle having a gate or slide d at its upper portion andanother gate or slide (1 at its lower portion. When it is desired toremove an accumulation of foreign matter during the operation of theapparatus, the slide d is pushed in and the slide 01 is withdrawn, thusallowing the accumulated matter to drop into the receptacle (1, theslide (1 preventing the escape of the aircurrent Through the receptacled. The slide (1 is now inserted and the slide (i withdrawn, allowing thematter deposited in the receptacle d to be removed.

In Fig. 5 I show a modification in which a is the casing; 17, the inlet;a, the outlet; 2= and 3, the deflectors, and d the trap.

As above stated, the outlet 0 has subs-tantially the same capacity asthe inlet 7). The entire passage-way through the casing also has acapacity as great as that of the inlet b and is free from obstructionsother than the deflectors described. Therefore the fibers are carried bythe full strength of the air-current Without undergoing such slackeningor ac celeration of speed or sudden changes of direction of movement aswould tend to keep them mixed with the foreign matter, leaving 1 thelatter, owing to the weight of the partideflectors.

I claim l. A fiber-cleaning apparatus, comprising i a casing having aninlet, a primary deflector opposite the inlet, against which the fibersIcarried through the inlet impinge, a secondary deflector against whichthe fibers impinge in rebounding from the primary deflector, the twodeflectors being out of alinement with each other and formed to twiceabruptly change the course or direction of movement of the current ofair and fibers, a trap'oi' depression ,below the secondary deflector inwhich the relatively heavy pieces of foreign matter detached from thefibers by the sue cessive impacts against the deflectors fall bygravitation, and a fiber-outlet located above the trap and out ofalinement with the inlet, the entire passage-way through the casing,including the outlet, having a capacity as great as that of the inlet,and free from ob structions other than said deflectors.

2. A fiber-cleaning apparatus, comprising a casing having an inlet, aprimary deflector opposite the inlet, against which the fibers carriedthrough the inlet impinge, a second=v ary deflector against which thefibers impinge in rebounding from the primary deflector, the twodeflectors being out of alineinent with each other and formed to twiceabruptly change the course ordirection of movement of the current of airand fibers, a trap or depression below the secondary deflector in whichthe relatively heavy pieces of foreign matter detached from the fibersby the successive impacts against the deflectors fall by gravitation, afiber-outlet located above the trap and out of al-ine-ment with theinlet, the

entire passage-way through the casing, in eluding the outlet, havingacapacity as great as that of the inlet, and free from obstructions otherthan said deflectors, and a recep-, tacle for foreign matter below thetrap, said receptacle having slides or gates.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

LAWRENCE SULLIVAN. Witnesses:

GEORGE A. BoUn'roN, OHAs. HERBERT SMITH.

